The Doggy Bag: The Intense Week Edition

Making the Move

Everyone answers to somebody, so we, the staff at Sherdog.com, have
decided to defer to our readers.

“The Doggy Bag” gives you the opportunity to speak about what is on
your mind from time to time. Our reporters, columnists, radio hosts
and editors will chime in with their answers and thoughts, so keep
the emails coming.

It has been an intense week for MMA talking points. Just as soon as
Randy
Couture shacked up with Bellator and Spike TV, the UFC dropped
the bomb that Jose Aldo
would defend his featherweight title against No. 1 lightweight
contender Anthony
Pettis on Aug. 3. Come to think of it, the UFC announced
Aldo-Pettis at the same time as Couture's press conference. That
must just be a coincidence.

Aldo and Pettis are on everybody's tongues, wondering if the
champion is bound for 155 pounds and what the win would mean for
his legacy. However, some of you are wondering just exactly how
Couture's presence can help Bellator and Spike TV and just what the
hell “MMA Rescue” is all about.

Some of you are not done chewing on UFC 156 yet. More principally,
the surprising-but-different performances of Alistair
Overeem and Demian Maia
have peaked your interest. Where do these athletes stand as
challengers after Overeem's deflating loss to Antonio
Silva and Maia's eye-opening domination of Jon Fitch?

Speaking of contenders, the UFC rolled out its first official
rankings last week. To say they were met with criticism would be
putting it gently; however, some voices out there think people
ought to take an “official” UFC ranking more seriously, boss Dana
White included.Jose
Aldo has gone from fighting Mark
Hominick and Kenny
Florian to facing Frankie
Edgar and Anthony
Pettis. How can anybody not be excited by this fight? I do have
a question, though: if Aldo wins, does beating Edgar and Pettis
back-to-back mean he’s a lock to move up to 155? If so, how do you
think Aldo would fare fighting at lightweight full-time? -- Kendall
from Montana

Brian
Knapp, features editor: The fight fan in me loves the
Aldo-Pettis matchup. The sports purist in me is somewhat less
enthused.

This is the type of fight that moves the needle, that gets the
masses talking, that pays the bills at the box office. I get that.
However, it also serves to blur the line between sports and
entertainment. Walk with me while I play Devil’s advocate here.
Pettis has never won a fight at 145 pounds in World Extreme
Cagefighting or the Ultimate Fighting Championship. How does that
warrant a title shot, against one of the sport’s pound-for-pound
greats no less? Has Pettis -- who less than two years ago lost a
unanimous decision to Clay Guida --
done enough with spectacular knockouts over Joe Lauzon and
Donald
Cerrone to leapfrog deserving 145-pound contenders like
Ricardo
Lamas and Chan Sung
Jung? Those are questions worth asking, no matter how one feels
about the fight.

Whoever wins the Aldo-Pettis super fight, the UFC is going to be
put in a somewhat awkward position. Aldo’s issues with the weight
cut at 145 pounds are well-chronicled. If he beats Pettis, a top 5
lightweight on the rise, does it hasten his inevitable move to 155?
What kind of vacuum does that leave at featherweight? If Pettis
wins, does he set up permanent residence at 145 pounds and defend
the title or does he straddle the fence between featherweight and
lightweight?

As previously mentioned, I expect Aldo’s move to 155 pounds to
happen soon. As crazy as it sounds, I think he will be an even more
dynamic force there, with his enhanced speed and improved cardio.
In terms of hypothetical matchups at 155 pounds, one would have to
favor Aldo against just about anyone, including reigning champion
Benson
Henderson. Perhaps the UFC sees the bout with Pettis as a
potential vehicle for the Brazilian’s transition from featherweight
to lightweight.

Despite some of my reservations, I will have Aug. 3 marked on my
calendar. Even Lamas and Jung have to admit Aldo-Pettis is
must-see.